Sherlock Holmes in Comics
Sherlock Holmes has appeared in numerous comics and manga over the years. Here are some of them. (An ongoing project, with many more to be added.)
The Classic Stories
Comic versions of Sherlock Holmes stories written by the original author, Arthur Conan Doyle.
In 1975, DC Comics released a one-shot adapted by Dennis O’Neil and illustrated by E. R. Cruz that retells “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House”.
The Sign of the Four is one of four adaptations of the Arthur Conan Doyle novels by Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard (Sterling, 2009-2011; reprinted by SelfMadeHero with new covers and trim size, 2017).
The Graphic Canon of Crime and Mystery Volume 1 (Seven Stories Press, 2017) contains a 14-page version of “The Speckled Band” adapted by Suzy Kim and illustrated by Patrick Gabrielli. (This volume also has a version of the Arcène Lupin story “Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late” adapted by Jane Mai.)
The Graphic Canon of Crime and Mystery Volume 2 (Seven Stories Press, 2021) contains a 10-page version of “A Scandal in Bohemia” by Lara Antal and Dave Kelly.
Revamps and Original Spins
Stories inspired by the originals, but with different character takes or settings or original plots.
Dell published two issues of Four Color titled “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, #1169 (1961) and #1256 (1962). They have both been reprinted under one cover by Coachwhip Publications. Art for the first issue (two stories) is attributed to Frank Giacoia. Art for the second (another two) is attributed to Bob Fujitani.
Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Titan Comics, 2020) retells the first half of the BBC TV show episode. The previous volumes in the series are each a complete episode: Sherlock: A Study in Pink, Sherlock: The Blind Banker, and Sherlock: The Great Game. Art for all is by Jay., based on the scripts by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
Sherlock Bones is a manga series by Yuma Ando and Yuki Sato where the detective has been reincarnated as a small dog (7 volumes in English, Kodansha, 2013-2014).
Watson and Holmes (collected in two volumes, New Paradigm Studios, 2013-2016) featured, as suggested by the title, Watson as lead, with the characters as Black men in modern-day New York. The stories were written by written by Karl Bollers and others and drawn by Rick Leonardi and others.
Related Characters
Comics and manga with lead characters who aren’t Sherlock Holmes or John Watson, but who are closely related.
Irene Adler leads a group of women adventurers in the steampunk-flavored Adler, written by Lavie Tidhar and illustrated by Paul McCaffrey (Titan Comics, 2021).
An Enola Holmes Mystery: The Case of the Missing Marquess (IDW, 2018)
An Enola Holmes Mystery: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (IDW, 2019)
An Enola Holmes Mystery: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (IDW, 2020)
adapt the first three of Nancy Springer’s YA novels as slim hardcover comics by Serena Blasco, originally published in French.
Major Holmes & Captain Watson, written by Jeff Rider and illustrated by Ismael Canales, stars a blond Sheffield Holmes, nephew of Sherlock and Mycroft, who goes on missions in 1914 with Captain Imogen Watson (4 issues, Cloudwrangler Comics, 2020-2021).
Violet Holmes, an original character and Sherlock’s adopted daughter, appears in Violet Holmes and the Agents of H.I.V.E.: Adventures of a Teenage Detective, written by Nicko Vaughan and illustrated by Georgia Grace Weston (Orange Pip Books, 2020).
Young Miss Holmes is a manga take by Kaoru Shintani starring Sherlock’s niece Lady Christie that moves from retelling Doyle stories to creating its own adventures (3 volumes in English, Seven Seas Entertainment, 2012-2013).
Webcomics and Fan Creations
It’s difficult to catalog the various online and fan versions of Sherlock Holmes, as if they make it into print, it’s often a one-time or limited-audience release, so I welcome more information for this section.
Consulting Detectives by Basil (Ghostbees) was a comic strip updated from 2012-2016. It features canon-style Holmes and Watson, often sniping at each other or making jokes based on a modern take on the existing stories.